SLEEP!
SLEEP can be a real challenge for women during perimenopause. It often makes other symptoms worse and impacts on quality of life.
When sleep is bad everything can feel bad!
When sleep is good everything can feel good!
Let’s explore a few ways you can support you body with simple lifestyle medicine to improve sleep!
SLEEP SUPPORT IDEAS
>Eat early. This impacts your heart rate variability and quality of sleep. Try it!
>Ditch alcohol. Your body find it hard to rest when you have consumed alcohol. It impacts on Heart rate variability, liver and your ability to get deep sleep.
>Ditch/reduce caffeine. Have it early in the day to avoid it impacting sleep. Consider trialling a week without it and see if it impacts your sleep at all?
>Avoid sugar before bed. One reason to do this is, it can cause a blood sugar drop in the night and this can wake you up.
>Exercise during the day. Helping the body to settle to sleep and stay asleep.
>Go for a stroll after dinner. Helps balance blood sugar and calms the nervous system.
>Avoid screens and bright lights before bed. The level of light at night impacts our sleep hormones.
>Go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time. Stick with the new routine so your body starts to create a rhythm.
>Use Natural medicine. Consult with a naturopath for guidance and safety but you could consider trying things like magnesium and glycine. Relaxing herbs like passiflora and hops to help calm the body to fall asleep and stay asleep.
>Try meditation before bed. Or try when you get home from work to help switch the body into the branch of the nervous system that can relax and prepare for sleep. As little as 5 minutes can help.
If sleep is something you struggle, it often requires a multifaceted approach.
Give one or some of these a try and see how you go.
Need more guidance and support? Book in for a Naturopathic consultation.